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It’s no secret that the adverse reaction to the new 2012 Honda Civic was a huge bummer for Honda. Designers and executives right up to CEO Takanobu Ito openly admitted their disappointment in the 2012 model, and vowed a quick fix. Given all of Honda‘s hand-wringing, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Civic is tanking. Not so. In fact, it’s on track to become the best-selling compact car in the U.S. this year, with 254,716 units sold through October.

Despite the positive numbers, true to its word Honda sped up the ninth-generation Civic’s refresh, and for the updated 2013 Honda Civic, the brand’s spinmeisters are promising a more emotional design — emotions are sure to run high when talk turns to its updated looks — improved driving dynamics, and a “youthful and premium” feel. We recently had a chance to get a closer look at and take a quick spin in the 2013 Civic to see if Honda hit its marks.

So what happened with the 2012 model? Honda says it miscalculated market demand. Since the model was developed during the American financial crisis, Honda executives believed consumers would accept lower-quality cars so long as they were fuel-efficient and affordable. That didn’t turn out to be the case, as competitors launched a range of compacts with expanded feature lists and improved quality (think Focus, Cruze, Elantra, etc.).

The exterior design of the 2012 Civic took the brunt of the criticism, so it was extremely important to Honda that the 2013 sedan make a bold statement. Looking a little Si-ish, the new Civic sedan’s mug is more aggressive, thanks to its muscular, raised hood; black honeycomb mesh grille; and a new, lower grille opening with chrome trim and integrated foglights on upper trim models. Out back, its widened rear end features sharper-edged taillights that extend onto a taller trunk lid, flanking a stretched-out chrome trim piece similar to that of the new Accord. Although its dimensions remain the same, the new sedan looks lower and wider and its profile appears more fluid, thanks in part to new five-spoke wheel design. While the body of the 2013 Civic coupe remains untouched, its cabin has undergone the same transformation as the sedan.

Speaking of the cabin, while present Civic owners have reportedly praised the car’s generous passenger volume, visibility, and layout, they weren’t too keen on the interior color combinations. To help fix that issue, Honda added standard black carpet and a black upper dash across the board. When combined with gray, beige, or black interior (a first for a Civic below the Si), the new color combos are designed to elicit a more premium vibe. The hard plastic and cheap-looking “rice-paper” dashboard is gone in favor of a deeper grain material that resembles leather. It’s more aesthetically pleasing and softer to the touch, as is a new Tricot headliner that feels more cushioned than the egg carton-like headliner on the 2012 model. Seat materials stay the same, but wear a new pattern. Brushed aluminum trim pieces have been added to the door panels on EX models and above, and although the buttons on the center stack stay put, chrome bits and a glossy black accents are new.

The premium treatment also means a back-up camera is now standard equipment for all 2013 Civics, with the images displayed on the car’s i-MID screen at the top center stack. The EX-L with navigation upgrades to a three-view backup camera. Bluetooth, Pandora, SMS text messaging, and a sliding center armrest are now standard across the board. Available features including Honda’s Forward Collision and Lane Departure warnings cascade down to the compact sedan (standard in Hybrid), and in an effort to keep up with the new IIHS small overlap test, the redesigned Civic (like the Accord) utilizes Honda’s next-gen ACE body structure. A new extension in the front bumper helps the front end of the car absorb more energy in the event of a crash, and despite an additional 50 pounds of vehicle weight, all Civic mpg ratings remain the same. The Civic coupe gets all the aforementioned interior upgrades and new 16-inch alloy wheels.

On the nuts and bolts side, Honda says the 2013 Civic’s steering ratio is 7 percent quicker. Both the front and rear anti-roll stabilizer bars are thicker, and new bushings were utilized throughout the suspension in an effort to reduce friction and improve overall ride quality. While we couldn’t tell a whole lot from our quick buzz around Honda’s headquarters, our seat-of-the-pants impression is that the suspension felt slightly more compliant. In addition, there’s a thicker windshield, stiffer wheels, and additional sound-deadening materials in the doors, floor panels, and dash, all designed to help quell the infamous loud Honda syndrome. While our drive was far too short for any real evaluation, the cabin seemed a smidge quieter.

Based off our initial impressions, it appears Honda has worked hard to address the problems we called out with the 2012 Civic in our eight-car comparison last year. Although it finished second in that test, it was dinged for its jittery suspension, noisy cabin, and lackluster styling — all areas targeted for improvement. Its value was also questioned, as the similarly priced Hyundai Elantra threw in premium features such as navigation, leather, and a rear-view camera. Honda’s followed that lead, expanding its list of standard features and adding higher-quality materials all for a relatively small $160 increase on all models. Starting at $18,355, the meat-and-potatoes LX is now the entry-level sedan, as the DX model has been dropped.

While the Civic sedan starts trickling into dealerships today, the entire lineup (Hybrid, HF, Si, CNG) will be on sale by early February. Now that the Civic appears to have gotten its groove back, we can only anticipate sales numbers will continue to grow.

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